Last night, or rather early this morning, I returned, so should I call it today? Anyway, after parting with Bell, I treated the wound on my leg with the remaining disinfectant and potion, and when I looked at the clock, it was pointing to 5, so I just went straight to my room and slept.
'Tap-tap-tap!'
"...Hmm?"
Did I sleep for about two hours? Anyway, I heard someone's hurried footsteps in the hallway, and then Naza, dressed in casual clothes, opened the door forcefully and came in.
"K-Kai, there's been a thief in the store!?"
"...Huh? A thief? In our store? ...Who?"
"If I knew that, would I be here? Just come out quickly!!"
We did make quite a bit of money thanks to the bath bombs, but I was a bit surprised that a thief would break into a place that isn't famous or wealthy enough to be worth stealing from.
"So, what's missing?"
As I hurriedly changed clothes and went down to the store, I asked Naza what was missing, but
"So far, it's confirmed that some wound disinfectant alcohol and two potions are gone, but Lord Miach is checking if anything else is missing."
"...Ah."
The thief was none other than me.
"...That expression, don't tell me?"
"...I'm sorry. I used those."
When I revealed that I was the thief, Naza held her forehead.
"Ha... So you didn't come back until late last night, did you get into a fight after drinking or something?"
"No, nothing like that. I had some business in the dungeon... Ahaha..."
When I honestly said I went to the dungeon, the hand that was holding her forehead had moved to grip the back of her neck.
"...Your gear?"
"Just what I was wearing when I left..."
I thought something bad would happen if I didn't tell the truth, so I was honest, but...
"...Kai."
"...Ah, yes!!"
"You're going to get hit a bit first."
"...Okay."
...I kind of understood how Bell felt.
.
.
.
After thoroughly feeling Naza's quite spicy handiwork, I hurriedly explained to Lord Miach that there was no thief, but I had used the supplies after getting injured in the dungeon.
"Ahaha... Good thing it wasn't a thief after all."
"My apologies. I'll leave a note or something next time..."
I was worried that the god might scold me too, but
"Hmm... It seems Naza has given you enough warning, so I won't say anything more."
Fortunately, Lord Miach let it slide without further comment.
"Thank you..."
"...So, what happened yesterday that you went to the dungeon at such a late hour and got injured?"
Even though he let it go, going to the dungeon without saying anything, late at night, and without any gear was definitely dangerous, so Lord Miach demanded an explanation.
"You remember I said I encountered a Minotaur in the dungeon a few days ago, right?"
"Ah yes, I recall it was due to the mistake of the Loki kids."
"And I also met the first member of your friend's Familia there."
"If you mean Hestia's child, the one with white hair and red eyes."
"Yes, and that kid is the friend I had dinner with yesterday."
"Oh! Looks like you two have already become close."
And so, I told Lord Miach everything that happened at the store and in the dungeon yesterday.
"Hmm... Such a thing..."
"Honestly, I regretted not stopping by the store to at least gear up in the middle."
"If something similar happens next time, just remember to come back to gear up then."
"...Yes."
"That aside, about eating magic stones..."
Including the fact that I ate magic stones in the dungeon.
"I didn't eat them on purpose; they just suddenly ended up in my mouth!"
"I already know you're not lying. It's just..."
"...Just what?"
To be honest, I thought the god might be a little angry, but contrary to expectations, he was smiling.
"I'm looking forward to what kind of changes might appear this time."
"...What's a god of medicine doing expecting something like that?"
"Haha, before being a god of medicine, I'm also a god who descended to the surface out of half curiosity and half interest."
"This is why gods..."
After that, well... As expected, we updated my Falna.
------------------------------------------------
[Kai]
LV. 1
Strength: - I 35 => I 44
Endurance: - I 43 => I 55
Dexterity: - I 32 => I 38
Agility: - I 28 => I 34
Magic: - I 0 => I 2
Skills
[Immortal]
- Upon death, revives with all accumulated fatigue and wounds regenerated.
- When the body regenerates, if there are impurities at that location, they are removed regardless of material.
[Adaptability]
Adaptation target: Ability/Attribute/Environment
Adaptation method: Gains immunity to attacks or damage experienced by the body.
Requirement for adaptation: Adaptation begins when struck by the target to adapt to.
Magic
< >
------------------------------------------------
I gained magic power even though I have no magic.
"...Kai."
"...Yes, Lord."
"You know without me saying, right?"
"I absolutely won't reveal it..."
"I said I was looking forward to it half-jokingly, but I didn't expect it to be this much..."
"No, honestly, who could have predicted that magic power would increase without having any magic?"
After the update, Lord Miach immediately began examining my body for any abnormalities.
"Hmm... No visible abnormalities for now, blood pressure and pulse are normal, and the drawn blood also seems fine at the moment."
"Is it really just that magic power increased?"
"I don't think it's just that. Nothing in the world gives something for free."
"...To be honest, I have quite a few magic stones from going to the dungeon yesterday?"
The examination results were normal, and with enough magic stones, I thought about trying an experiment, but
"Don't do it."
Lord Miach firmly stopped me.
"Aww... Even if something goes wrong, I can just die and come back to life, so let's try it a few times?"
"...Even if you revive, don't use your life too recklessly."
"Hmm... Then let's try just six, no, five of them."
"...Fine, just this once."
As soon as Lord Miach gave permission, I immediately sorted the magic stones by type.
"Then, first, the goblin magic stone from the 1st floor."
'Crunch!! Gulp!'
"Ugh..."
As I felt when I ate it yesterday, the taste is incredibly foul.
"Lord... Please update my Falna quickly..."
"The taste is a bit... bad, I see?"
"It tastes like milk that's been left at room temperature for about a month and clumped together..."
"Ohh..."
And so, we updated my Falna again, but
Strength: - I 44
Endurance: - I 55
Dexterity: - I 38
Agility: - I 34
Magic: - I 2
There was no particular change.
"Hmm... Then, this time, a kobold's."
'Crunch!!'
"Eep!?"
I even prepared myself and chewed it, but this time, I almost threw up before swallowing.
"Ugh... It's like eating meat from an animal carcass left out for days..."
"...Would you like some honey water or something?"
"No, it's okay... More importantly, let's update again..."
Magic: - I 2 => I 3
I don't know if it's right to call it fortunate, but fortunately, my magic power did increase.
"...It went up by 1."
"...Is the number of magic stones eaten important?"
"Hmm... How many did you eat the first time?"
"Probably... two."
"So, including the one you just ate, you've eaten a total of four."
"All the magic stones I ate just now and yesterday were from monsters caught on the 1st to 2nd floors, though."
"Hmm... It might be that smaller magic stones require eating more to increase magic power."
Miach and I exchanged plausible hypotheses based on our thoughts.
"Hmm... Then, what would happen if I ate a magic stone from the 6th floor?"
"...It wouldn't be bad to try eating one."
"Then, in one go."
'Crunch-crunch!!'
"Guh!?"
It seems this magic stone was from that frog monster with only one eye.
"...What kind of taste is it this time that you're reacting like that?"
"It's like chewing frog entrails pulled straight from muddy water without washing them..."
The more I described the taste of the magic stones, the more pitiful Lord Miach's gaze became.
"Please don't look at me like that..."
"Alright... Let's update your Falna first."
And the result was
Magic: - I 3 => I 5
It increased by 2 at once.
"As we expected, it seems that small magic stones from the 1st to 4th floors require eating a certain amount to increase magic power."
"Conversely, larger magic stones seem to increase magic power with less consumption."
It's good that I can quickly check results by experimenting on my own body, but
"...It's a bit late to say this now, but."
"What is it?"
"I have no use for magic power, so why did I try to increase it..."
Even after finding out, there's no immediate use...
"...Saying that now is pointless."
"...I guess so."
After finishing the experiment? and coming out of the room, Naza, who was on cooking duty today, was making food when
'Ding-dong~!'
"E-excuse me..."
Bell had come to visit.
'...How is that guy already awake?'